New Haven principal denies claims of 'grade tampering' at Hillhouse High School

NEW HAVEN - With allegations of grade tampering for student athletes, including to keep one student NCAA eligible, placed on Hillhouse High School Principal Kermit Carolina and other administrators, the school's principal vehemently denies the claims and calls the investigation a witch hunt.

The report concludes, among other things, that Ed Scarpa, a retired Hillhouse teacher, with Carolina's knowledge, changed the course description for two student-athletes to make the course appear to be different than the one taken and to eliminate reference to the course being taken in summer school. The change appears to have been made in order to mislead the NCAA and/or others regarding courses taken, the report compiled by attorney Floyd Dugas says. (Scroll down to read the report)

"This has been a very unfortunate situation for all involved and these are very serious allegations made against administrators at the second-largest high school" in the city, Superintendent of Schools Reginald Mayo said in a statement.

Mayor John DeStefano Jr. declined comment Tuesday. There has been no discipline in the case to date.

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But attorney Michael Jefferson, who is representing Carolina in the investigation, said Carolina is innocent of any of the allegations and condemned the conclusions of the investigation.

"Principal Carolina was a champion basketball coach for boys and girls and no one has questioned his integrity of how his students athlete were treated as a championship coach," he said.

Jefferson said the timing of the revelations, at the beginning of his second year, is intended to embarrass Carolina.

"The allegations are inconsistent as a coach and administrator and there is no evidence that Carolina attempted to mislead the NCAA," as was the inference on the part of Dugas and Carolina was not the principal at the time of the alleged actions, Jefferson said.

With regard to students attending summer school, both Jefferson and Carolina said there was no policy in place to govern summer school. The reports says, "two student-athletes were given preferential treatment in summer school and were awarded twice as many credits as other students, yet only had to attend class for half the amount of time pursuant to a 'special exception' by Carolina and Riverside Academy Principal Wanda Gibbs."

Wanda Gibbs, principal of Riverside Academy School said, "I will not intellectualize the allegations with a response,"

With regard to allegations about the record of one of the students, Carolina said," I was in the process of being hired as the principal and I never sat down with anyone to conspire this,"

Jefferson added, "My client never received any training of a policy of how to govern summer school or received a memo pertaining to a policy governing summer school classes."

"There was no policy, and if we look back over the decades you will see kids allowed to take summer school classes at Riverside (Academy), and in many instances have been at the behest of people throughout the district, including folk at central office. Gibbs never denied the opportunity to teach and educate students," said Carolina.

Carolina also said that he is offended that they would question Gibbs' integrity."

"She one of (the) long standing administrators in this district and called upon on numerous occasions by central officer personnel to offer summer school for students," he said.

"Gibbs is given the flexibility to modify schedules as she see fit for students she works with at Riverside and this has been a standard for the past two decades and she has been giving the flexibility to make decisions that are in best interest of the students," Carolina said.

Jefferson questions the time frame of the investigation since the Dec. 23 emergency board meeting during which it was publicly revealed. "The investigation took eight months because they could not find anything in the initial phase of the report. We have to understand and let me be clear, the author of the investigation and his law firm is a contributor to the mayor's campaign and the report represents a clear bias," he said.

"The purpose to release the report at this time is to embarrass Kermit Carolina prior to the start of school," Jefferson said.

The report also concludes, "Two student-athletes were allowed to violate the district's "160-day attendance rule," (which allows only 20 absences in any school year) with one student missing 45 days of school and still being promoted to the 12th grade. There also appears to have been preferential treatment of students #1 and # 2 regarding the 160 day rule. Given the recent change in the practice, it appears Mr. Carolina was not truthful and or completely forthcoming with this investigator regarding that policy."

However, the 160 day attendance rule was not a policy established by the district, but one created by the previous administration, according the Carolina.

"The 160 rule is a practice of the previous principal's rules, although I respect his philosophy, but I made it clear to my guidance counselor that I didn't believe in that philosophy," Carolina said. "We are in business to support our kids in the guidelines that are set for us, and as result I didn't enforce the 160 rule and I made that clear to Mr. Dugas and (was) honest when asked question," Carolina said in an email.

The report disputed Carolina's contention that this rule was never enforced at Hillhouse.

As far as the Tenex grading system then in use at Hillhouse, the investigation concluded, "While not intentional, the practice at Hillhouse of allowing teachers to award a grade above the numerical average calculated by the Tenex grading system gives Hillhouse students an advantage over other students in the city and arguably results in grade inflation."

But Jefferson said that there needs to be a comparative analysis done and Carolina said the his school does not allow the Tenex system to override teacher wishes as to grades.

"We also raise the question of giving Hillhouse students advantages over other students, what other students and how does he know?," said Jefferson, referring to Dugas' investigation. "You would have to do a comparative analysis in order to come to that conclusion and we want to know what comparative analysis was done."

Carolina noted, "Hillhouse is probably the only school in the district that is following the contract laid out for teachers. The contract is very clear and specific and on page 41 page of the 2010-2014 teacher contract booklet Section 11 #B read, "The teacher shall be considered to be the expert in evaluating their pupil's work, and the integrity of the teacher shall be respected in grading the work of the pupil," it does not say the Tenex systems."

"At Hillhouse we don't not allow the Tenex sysytem to override the teachers' wishes. If (the) teacher calculates a grade and gives us a final grade, we follow that final grade that (is) given by the teacher, and I would argue that we are the only school following and respecting the contract," said Carolina.

Dugas' report said a student, identified as student #4 received preferential treatment in an apparent effort to maker the student NCAA eligible. The report's conclusion No. 6 says, "Student #4 another student-athlete received preferential treatment in a variety of ways in an apparent effort to make the student NCAA eligible. In one instance, a failing grade in Intermediate Algebra was erased from the student's transcript, including any reference to the student ever having taken the course."

"Dugas made an inference and jumped to conclusion and this was not intentional conduct on the part of Mr. Nguyen," said Carolina, about John Nguyen, who is an assistant principal at the school. The report in its conclusion alleges Assistant Principal John Nguyen erased a failing Algebra 1 grade from a student's transcript. In another section, however, the report says Scarpa deleted a failing Algebra 1 grade for the same student.

Jefferson said that, "This was mentioned several times that things were isolated and not done intentionally. I read the report and what ways is he talking about? He is not clear of what manifests itself."

Carolina said that mistakes are made all the time by employees and administrators in the district, "If we look long enough with anybody in the district you will find mistakes were made, but for Dugas to assume Mr. Nguyen has malice intent is disrespectful of man that has good history of great work in the school and even as a one time teacher of the year," said Carolina

Jefferson argues that student #4 never entered the picture until the investigation began and grade tampering allegation could not be substantiated for student 1, 2, and 3. Jefferson said that when he was interviewed by Dugas the issue was only dealing with student 1, 2, and 3. He said he believes that Dugas and Mayo went behind closed doors to manufacture a story.

"When this matter begin, we were only talking about student 1, 2, and 3 that was gist of investigation or at-least those were the questions raised and asked of us when I was interviewed by Dugas at his office," Jefferson said. "Never was any questions raised about student #4 and it wasn't until they couldn't find enough to stick with students # 1,2, and 3 and now they say it's time to find something else on student 4," Jefferson said. "Student 4 was never an issue and this is our first time hearing about student 4," in the report.

Carolina said Nguyen's role occurred by default.

"Look, Mr. Nguyen took on the role in an attempt to correct the problem in the absence of our assistant principal who was head of guidance and the actual counselor who was responsible has conveniently disappeared as well and was responsible for student #4," said Carolina. "Mr. Nguyen only stepped in by default after (Assistant Principal Shirley) Joyner and (Guidance Counselor Sandra) Pucci left, who handles student athletes," he said.

Joyner raised the complaints about alleged grade tampering at the school. Superintendent of Schools Reginald Mayo ordered an investigation of the allegations and chose Dugas to conduct the probe.

"This was not even raised in the interview, students #1 and #2, we raised that and we were denied that opportunity to give our side about student #4. Student #4 was brought in due to the weak arguments and charges about 1 and 2 and 3," Carolina said.

Jefferson said the investigations could have been wrapped up after students #1 and #2. Jefferson concluded that he or his client was never apprised of student #4 and never asked to respond to those allegations regarding student #4.

Jefferson said the conclusions drawn of students #1 and #2 were brought to the media's attention the night of the emergency board meeting.

"We provided those documents about student #1 and 2 and from the onset we have been asking for true transparency and we wanted their interviews to be conducted before the press," he said.

"And Dugas and his report actually refers to our initial response to his request to not be part of the investigation because there was no transparency and the press was not invited. This whole investigation was done under the cover of darkness," Jefferson said.

Jefferson also said that, allegations regarding "student #3 were found to be unsubstantiated, and students #1 and 2 were clear that it was absent of malice because we are" not dealing with a grade change.